Dickable Afternoons
by Castalyne
Summary: Short stories, Sai bonding with other characters from Naruto.
1. Come Josephine in my Flying Machine: Ino

They stood in the vacant park at dusk, until Ino made a dash at the swings. She sat, looked back at Sai expectantly, and made the demand to be pushed just like she had done earlier when he had approached her for some quality time together.

A simple request from a not so simple girl, high standards seemed to diminish when she and Sai looked around the lot. She did say she wanted him to take her to higher places, this wasn't what he had expected, not what the books implied. Sai suited for fishing his mind out of the proverbial gutter and situated himself behind Ino, perched atop the wooden plank attached to thick ropes, tethered to a metal frame.

Ino's body swayed back towards him as he gripped her shoulders, giving her the momentum she needed. Twenty minutes in, his arms hurt, his hands ached, his spine felt as if it would snap but the euphoric screams of Ino kept him going.

"Higher, damn it!' She screamed. 'Use those scrawny arms and push me HARDER!'

Sai, now broken out into a light sweat from the strenuous force of pushing Ino on the swing, was confused as to how pleasurable she could actually find such an activity.

Push after push brought them to a comfortable rest on the grass, Sai panting with noodle arms splayed out. Carefully, Ino picked up one of the limp appendages and began squeezing gently. When he glanced at her, eyes narrowing, she held up a hand defensively.

'My hands go no further than your arms unless you say so.' Ino quipped, resuming the gentle touch on his arm. 'Thanks for that, it's been... far too long.'

'It was fun?' Sai asked, watching as the chakra flowed from Ino's hands to his arm.

Ino nodded, sliding a hand up his bicep, her fingers digging in harder and she sighed. 'Nostalgic fun.' She replied, smiling with dreamy eyes.

Sai raised an eyebrow. 'Go on.'

'Before the days of Chuunin; Chouji, Shika and I would come down here at around dusk and we'd take turns pushing each other on the swings.' Ino explained, watching as Sai's eyes wandered to the set in front of them a few feet away, the dreamy sheen never leaving Ino's glance. 'Actually, it was more like Chouji pushing Shika and myself. That man had us almost swinging over the whole set.'

Ino began work on Sai's other arm. 'Shika became Jounin and Chouji's become more relaxed these days, so I haven't been down here in a few weeks.'

Sai sat up and grunted at the pain in his shoulders, Ino placing a hand there as Sai nodded. 'We'd make plans for old times' sake, but... things always came up. Small missions for Chouji or myself, big things for Shika.'

She had Sai melting into her hands now and smiled. 'So when you asked if I wanted to do something, this was the first thing I could think of.'

'Oh.' Sai replied, coolly.

'You thought I wanted something else, didn't you?'

Sai chuckled. Ino was a flake from time to time, but she had her heart in the right place. 'A play date in the park was the last thing on my mind.' He admitted, as he looked back at her with heavy lidded eyes.

Ino laughed in return, hitting his shoulder. 'I could do so much worse. I could... paint your nails?' She suggested as she continued to knead his back. 'Do each other's hair, gossip, girls' night out.'

Sai laughed again. 'I have a penis you know.'

'Yeah, we could do that to.' Ino poked him in the side as he puffed out a laugh.

She slid his arms around his torso and rested her forehead against his back. Sai blinked a few times, furrowed his brow and looked back towards the kunoichi who held him, catching only the glimpse of blonde hair.

'Thank you Sai.' She said muffled by his shirt. 'This meant a lot.'


	2. Cloud Talk: Shikamaru

'So this is a pass time you frequent?' Sai asked the half dozing shinobi lying next to him on the grass.

Shikamaru yawned and glanced over at Sai through watery eyes and gave a small nod. 'Yep.'

The sun was setting, casting a pink glow among the white fluff in the darkening sky, crickets chirping around them in the plush grass. Shadows crept over Konoha, cooling the sun soaked town in a blanket of shade.

'Sometimes you can see shapes in them.' Shikamaru pointed skywards, pausing as the clouds shifted above. 'That one looks like a kunai for example.'

'It looks like a cloud.' Sai protested, watching as the wind ripped the cloud into two different sections.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes on the sky fluff, trying to find a simpler, perhaps more familiar shape before seeing one that that may have resembled a tree shape. 'Right there.' Shikamaru pointed. 'Tree.'

'It looks like an isosceles triangle with a rectangle protrusion.'

Sai stated dryly.

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow, and wondered if Sai was serious or not. If he wasn't, that blank stare that was aimed skywards would have been replaced by that grin Naruto had told him so much about.

Shikamaru sighed and tried again when the other shinobi's face remained just as cold and calm as it did when he joined Shikamaru.

'You find this relaxing?' Sai inquired, just as Shikamaru was about to point, at what he thought anyways, looked like a rabbit.

Shikamaru put his hands behind his head and smiled. 'Yeah, I do.'

'It seems so...'

Shikamaru smirked. 'Boring?'

'Simple.' Sai corrected. 'I suppose one would need a vivid imagination to see images in moisture accumulation.'

'And that comes from an artist.' Shikamaru took out a cigarette and lit it, rubbing his left temple with his free hand. 'You can produce works of art like no other man I've met and you can't see a single rabbit in a cloud, troublesome really.'

'I couldn't even see the rabbit in the moon Sakura chan tried to show me last week during the full moon.' Sai added with a stale undertone and frowning, a little disappointment laced his voice.

'You're just trying too hard to see what I suggest, I guess.'

Shikamaru puffed, blowing the smoke in the opposite direction of Sai and gestured up again when he saw a shape.

'Describe that cloud to me.' He pointed, moving towards Sai so he could get the angle. 'Tell me how you see it.'

'Round and fluffy, just like the other's.' Sai replied with a smile. 'Pink, like Hag's hair.'

Shikamaru hit him in the shoulder and chuckled. 'No, no, no. What else is there?'

'There are 9 long wisps protruding from thee round part.' Sai furrowed his brow watching the wind blow the clouds apart. 'A snarling maw? Oh, it's a Kyuubi.'

'Sometimes you have to wait a moment while the wind plays with it.'

Shikamaru said. 'When there's a breeze... well, that's when cloud watching is the best.

'Nature is a true artist, very simplistic though, I might add.' Sai said, eyeing a cloud and furrowing his brow in thought. 'Now that one...'

Shikamaru smiled to himself and took another drag of his smoke, exhaling slowly fanning the smoke away with an open hand. It seemed as if the anti social member of team 7 was finally coming around.

'Looks like a cloud.' Smiling with an assertive nod, Sai rested his case. "Nothing more than a cloud.'

Shikamaru snorted, simple things wouldn't soothe every complex mind that he would encounter.

'Troublesome.' He muttered, glancing at the grinning shinobi at his side. 'Absolutely, without a doubt, troublesome.'


	3. Hair Chidori: Kakashi

It came across as a shock to the copy nin when he found Sai there before him. He gave him a smile, through his mask, as he lowered his reading material to wave. Kakashi was late, again, for training.

Kakashi gave him a curt nod and immediately began caressing the marbled stone in front of him, names of his friends, family and fallen team mates. Sai copied the movements that Kakashi did, narrowing his eyes on the names he traced over, wondering if by chance, one of them would ring a bell to him. Kakashi gazed down at the young man beside him, watching as Sai pressed an open palm over the stone, mouth in a taught line as his brow furrowed, his fingers grazing just under the name ' Hatake Sakumo'.

Sai glanced up at Kakashi, receiving a nod watching Sai gaze back towards the monument. Again, Sai was serching, lost amongst the names; he gave a frustrated sigh and turned away, opting to lean against the marble monument instead. Kakashi's next move left Sai baffled. His hand simply fell to Sai's head, ruffling his hair, much like he'd do to comfort Naruto or Sakura. Sai wondered, for a brief moment, if he did that to Sasuke at one point in time and dismissed the thought, looking up towards Kakashi, face void of emotion as he did.

'We get lost in the same things here, Sai.' His hand never leaving the other man's mussed hair. 'Life is optional, death is always inevitable.'

'Senpai?' Sai raised his brows, eyes slightly crossed as he looked skyward. 'My scalp burns. I find this displeasing.' Kakashi grinned under his mask, resting his hair on the soft ebony locks. When he finally lifted his hand, the mussed hair stood on end, static cling heavy in every strand.

'You might want to....' Kakashi began to run his hand over his own hair but settling for a dismissing wave when his actions seemed to fall lost on Sai. 'Never mind, we had somewhere to be right?'


	4. Saving the World with Push Ups: Lee

Sai felt his arms wobble just as he pushed up one last time. His muscles shook violently before giving out, leaving him face first in a mud puddle beneath his drenched body.

'One thousand sixty seven, one thousand sixty eight...' A voice called from beside him, exuberant and gleeful, making Sai cringe inwardly as he turned his mud splotched face to his mission companion Rock Lee. His partner drenched through and through, just as he, was showing no signs of slowing down.

The smile on his face gave the impression that Lee wouldn't want to be doing anything else on this stormy afternoon than doing his usual two thousand push ups out in the flooded training fields. Arms forcing himself up and down, his nose touching the puddle that was wrist deep surrounding his body.

Sai had only made it to five hundred, not bad, but Lee had put his ANBU training to shame and Sai felt a little more than envious at the man's dedication to the cause, whatever his cause may be.

'YOUTH!' Lee screamed. 'One Thousand seventy six...!'

Sai felt his lips turn up into a smile as he propped himself up out of the water that had already flooded around him. The rain had started a week ago, hadn't slowed since. The roads were rivers that flowed to the shallow lakes where the training fields should have been.

'One thousand eighty four...!'

Sai glanced to the sand bags in front of them; half had already been moved towards the forest behind them before the two found it fitting to take a break. Of course, the break brought him to the face down position in the mud, watching Lee struggle effortlessly against gravity, water and his own will power.

'Two thousand!' He boomed with enthusiasm, grabbing onto Sai's hands, pulling him over to the sand bags. 'Break's over Sai Kun! These bags won't move themselves.'


	5. Halmark has Nothing on Us: Naruto

Sai considered Naruto his closest bond by far, his best friend, his newly adopted brother. Not a replacement for the one he had in ROOT, far from. Nonetheless, close to his heart. He'd take a katana through the chest for the man and he meant it literally when he stepped in front of the blonde letting the glistening blade pierce his torso. He had done it with a smile on his face.

Sai's plan was a success, he had saved Naruto from the brunt of the attack and while Sai could have easily deflected the attack, like he had in Orachimaru's lair, he simply blocked with his whole body. Like he read so many times before in some of the books Ino had lent him, the hero would always willingly shield his lover from any abrasive attacks. Minus the fact Naruto was neither his lover, nor a woman, as questionable as his penis size was.

'You're an idiot.' Naruto shot.

'And it was my idiocy that saved you.' Sai pointed out, smile wide. 'If I didn't step in front of that blade...'

'I don't know HOW MANY TIMES I've seen you block a sword before....'

'A katana...' Sai corrected and beamed.

'A katana,' Naruto repeated. 'And here we are like this.'

Naruto gestured to the blade that was lodged through Sai and into his own torso.

'I was being a human shield.' Sai added, as his eyes creased with glee. 'It impressed Sakura chan so I figured...'

'Figure nothing!' Naruto raised a fist into the air, movement only made the katana shift painfully inside him and he stilled just as quickly.

'We're both alive, Naruto kun.' Sai said, as his bottom lip quivered when Tsunede tapped on the hilt of the katana.

'And now we're STUCK!' Naruto argued back and winced when he felt the blade shake in his flesh.

Scissors had taken care of unnecessary clothing as the two were being prepped for the delicate surgery that would have them separated come morning.

'Just when I think you're getting it, you do something like this.' Naruto sighed.

'Do you not want my help?' Sai asked as he cocked an eyebrow and grinned as his eyes creased happily. 'You know I could have just as easily let it hit you alone?'

Naruto rested his forehead against Sai's due to lack of anywhere else to rest it and gave his head a gentle shake. Now stripped of their protectors it was flesh upon flesh. Sai felt comforted to know that his lunatic of a friend was okay...

'You're frustrating sometimes.' Naruto muttered, having smiled for the first time since the incident.

...and Naruto always quickly forgive him.

'So are you.' Sai said in an almost whisper. 'If you were just a little more cautious...'

'If you haven't had read all the damn books in the damned library...' Naruto whispered back.

'We wouldn't be in this mess.' They finished together, Sai's voice a little softer than Naruto's.

Sai watched as a hand came between their faces; a mask went over Naruto's mouth and nose and snapped behind his head.

'See you in the morning,' Naruto said muffled through the plastic apparatus. 'You shit weasel.'

A few deep breaths, Sai noticed Naruto fight it, and then he was gone. The process was repeated with Sai, his head lolled forward against Naruto's, knowing that in the morning, the metallic surface brought them a little closer would be gone, but the bond it left would only be a little stronger.


	6. Not So Best Friends: Sasuke

_'Sasuke is harmless.'_ Sai thought to himself, thumbing through his text book on the Uchiha clan. _'Chakra sealed off, bloodline limit suppressed.'_

He snapped the book shut causing the Uchiha to glare over at his replacement.

'Hiya, Sasuke-san.' Sai gave a wide Naruto- esque smile, but clearly, it didn't have the same effect when Sasuke snarled at the man sitting next to him in training field 9 while watching his two former team mates spar.

Sasuke turned his attentions back to them and crossed his arms across his chest. 'I told you to not talk to me.'

'And Naruto told you to play nice and Sakura told me likewise.' Sai reminded. 'If we are to bond, we must form some sort of connection and to form a connection we must talk about things until we reach common ground.'

Sasuke pointed to the two teammates in front of them, Sakura picking Naruto up and hurling him to the ground 10 feet away. While both raven haired men cringed, Sasuke didn't look away until Sai was focused intently on them.

'That... is all we have in common, Numb Nut.' Sasuke seethed. 'All we ever have, all we ever will.'

'You have no family.' Sai said blankly and when their eyes met, Sasuke's eyes flared with anger, but lacked their usual red glow and spinning of onyx.

'I am all too aware.' He growled, mentally reminding himself to remain restrained for the moment, Tsunede held his life on a thin line.

'I have no family.' Sai said quietly. 'I... don't remember my parents.' and he felt his nose crinkle as his brow furrowed, until he found his default smile comfortable enough for his features. 'Well, not entirely true, just vague things actually. Whenever I try to remember their faces... I think of blood and torn appendages.... Do you have similar memories of your family, Sasuke-Kun?'

Sasuke was taken aback by that artificial smile that was spread across Sai's face. How could he be smiling at a memory like that, one Sasuke himself was all too familiar with.

'When I...' Sasuke started, gripping grass and dirt with white knuckled fingers. 'Think of my parents, I think of my brother.'

'Oh, the older traitorous murderer.' Sai confirmed with a nod, looking away just in time to miss the angered almost hurt glare of Sasuke. 'I had a brother once.'

'He didn't kill your whole clan before dying by your hands did he?' Sasuke inquired wth a dry laugh, partially drowned out by the loud 'KYAAAAAA' from Naruto as he drove himself at Sakura, Rasengan in hand.

'No.' Sai returned the laugh with a frown as he glanced away in the opposite direction. 'I wouldn't have let things get that far.'

Sasuke felt his heart hitch before grabbing the collar of Sai's shirt and pulling him inches from his face. He could taste blood in his own mouth as teeth sank into his tongue, feeling the coppery taste run down his throat as he pulled his teeth from the punctured muscle as his breathing hitched.

'My Nii-san died of an incurable disease.' Sai offered, looking back towards his team mates, Naruto summoning more shadow clones. Closing his eyes and letting a small smile grace his lips, he continued, 'From what Naruto and my texts tell me about your clan, so did your Nii san and you may suffer the same fate like many others did in your clan.'

Sasuke released him, sinking back to his spot on the grass. 'He... made sure I was taken care of before he left, I'd have you know.' Sasuke said softly, frowning, teeth barred in a grimace. 'It was.... his way of making me grow up.'

'That was a back handed way.' Sai murmured thoughtfully.

Sasuke didn't move. 'Listen, S..S..Sai,' the first time he used that name sounded very uncomfortable, but he let Sasuke continue. 'You, of all people, should know that we do what we do to survive...' Sai nodded. '...and I don't doubt your Nii-san did whatever he did to make sure you were taken care of before he died.'

'That he did, Uchiha.' Sai agreed. 'You of all people should understand that we have something to protect now.'

'Hmph.' Sasuke grunted and made a subtle nod of his head towards the two sparring members of Team 7. 'Bonds, right?'

Sai returned his nod with a smile. 'We have more in common than you think, Uchiha San.'

'I still hate you.'

'The feeling is mutual.'


	7. Fly on the Wall: Shino

Despite the quite stoic nature of the bug user, Sai found his company pleasing. Not once did he peer over Sai's shoulder, wondering about the title to a particular piece, not once had he hit him for saying something that may have been out of place, Sai didn't understand why everyone thought Shino Aburame was strange.

A little preoccupied with bugs but one could say that about Sai with his art or Sakura with her hit happy fists. Shino had interests and in turn, that interested Sai. HE had read in a book once, that you could become closer to someone by partaking in their interests, Sai had chose Shino more so of his quiet nature than anything.

Sai had approached him in the tree dimmed sun; Shino stood eying a dull red and brown butterfly that had perched on his hand. Sai snapped a twig under his foot, clutching his sketch pad in hand he stood perfectly still as the Aburame turned ever so cautiously to his new arrival.

'It's you.' Shino stated coolly. 'Sai was it?'

Sai nodded. He'd only really talked to Shino during the three tails mission, hadn't really seen him since then, such is the life as a shinobi, Sai guessed. Sai gingerly stepped closer; the butterfly fluttered his wings, but didn't leave its perch on Shino's finger. Without making too much movement, Sai opened his sketch pad and started the outline of the creature, sans color. Just as softly as it had landed on Shino moments earlier, the butterfly fluttered off and landed on Sai's ebony locks as he put the finishing touches on the sketch. Sai glanced back at Shino's hand, only to find the creature gone and Shino's hand in its usual spot in his jacket pocket.

'Up.' Was all Shino said as Sai glanced up, eyes slightly crossed as he caught the glimpse of the wing tips.

'It appears I missed some details on the wings.' Sai inquired, mostly to himself as Sai lightly touched the pen to his paper, creating the deep red spots in black.

'A few more on its head.' Shino added as Sai gave a hum in response.

With Shino's view of the butterfly, Sai took in the input greedily, not wanting to miss a single bit of detail.

'Its left wing is a little more tattered.' Shino said, almost a little grimly. 'Run in with a predator.'

'What's a natural predator of a butterfly?' Sai asked, pen sketching as he glanced up at Shino, who stood perfectly straight.

Sai imagined that Shino would have a somewhat shocked look in his eyes at the question, just as he imagined that Shino didn't get that many questions about bugs in general.

'Birds, mostly.' Shino replied. 'Fish, if they fly to close to the water. Bats as well.'

'And you come out here every day?' Sai handed Shino his sketch book and Shino accepted it.

Sai couldn't tell if Shino was actually looking at it, but his nod confirmed he did.

'It looks good.' Shino commented. 'Yeah, rain or shine. Different bugs in different weather.'

'I'd imagine.' Sai said, glancing up when he felt the flutter of wings against his forehead.

The butterfly was gone just as Shino passed the book back to Sai. 'I can... show you more if you'd like?'

Sai found the fluttering form up in the tree tops and smiled, 'I think I'd like that.'

The two spent much of the summer like that, when they weren't on missions of course. Shino seeking out the insects from the highest tree tops to the darkest caves. Sai at his side sketching each one, wings in motion, settled on rocks or flowers and in the occasional predator's mouth. It was around the same time, Sai realized he hadn't really been paying attention to his books; everything just came sort of naturally. Two different interests had sort of morphed into one, bringing on Sai's first real bond outside of what he found in team 7. It was no real surprise to Sakura and Naruto when they found the two sitting on a hollow log in the woods, back to back with Shino describing a beetle he once encountered as Sai sketched it. He handed Shino the book and he nodded. 'Exactly.'

'Well who do we have here?' Naruto crooned as a storm of bugs flew up from the tall grass around the two shinobi.

'The bugs!' They both gasped, voice is synchronized harmony, turning to glare at the two members of team 7 who just joined them.

Naruto threw a scroll towards Sai. 'Mission time, man.'

Sai closed his book and sighed, unimpressed and disappointed that another lazy day was interpreted by the loud boisterous blonde. Sai nudged Shino as he read the scroll. 'See you in a week.'

'I'll be waiting.' Shino replied watching the ink user sprint off with his team mates.

Shino smiled to himself. Sai may have been weird, but at least he didn't scare the bugs like a few friends he knew. He'd have to keep Sai around.


	8. Throwing Your Weight Around: Kiba

That tongue slopped up side his face and well into his hair, licking the black locks around in a twist of drool. Sai's eyes glared at the fluffy mop that intruded his space just moments earlier. The floppy ears, the damp nose, paws resting on Sai's shoulders when Akamaru pushed him to the grass and began his full tongued assault. Breathe now panting on his cheek as Akamaru lay down on top of Sai, pinning him successfully as a shoelace of drool dripped from the mutt's mouth, landing directly on top of Sai's nose.

Wiping it off was futile; his arms were pinned beneath the large beast that rested upon him proudly. This was a sticky situation indeed, as Sai glanced around for Kiba whom still remained nowhere in sight. His inks and paper lay scattered around him as he managed to sneak a peek at a few loose leaves of paper washing away with the shallow river close by. He exhaled loudly, feeling the dog's weight settling on him uncomfortably.

Finally, Kiba came shooting through the trees holding several flat curved rocks in both hands, laughing maniacally as he began to call Akamaru off between fits of laughter. Akamaru was obedient to almost anyone, except for Sai it seemed. The dog always worked against Sai's command; would always continue to lick at his face, drool on his lap or hump his leg even when Sai raised his voice or an open palm to the dog.

And it was always a simple, 'He likes you... A LOT.'

That may have been true, but Sai was not a dog person. Definitely not. Kiba set his rocks aside and began helping save whatever of Sai's work the Shinobi deemed saveable as Akamaru bounded around them. Kiba finally snapped at the dog, telling him to lie down. When the work was done, Sai looked down at the rocks that Kiba set near the base of the tree Sai was drawing against.

'Ever skipped stones before?' Kiba asked with a grin, holding one up before advancing towards the calm creek and whipping the stone across the water.

Eight times it skidded before it bounced off a rock near the other side and sunk. Sai looked perplexed as Kiba handed him a stone and pushed him towards the creek.

'Ummm....' was all Sai got out before he was shoved one last time towards the edge of the water.

He tried, to say the least, and there was nothing to describe Sai's first attempt aside from 'Successful Failure.' The flat stone sailed well over the water, grazing a boulder on the other side before slamming into a tree and shattering the stone upon impact.

'I see. This game lacks purpose.' Sai said, eyes narrowing as he saw the fragments fly in every angle before turning to Kiba and frowning at him.

Kiba buried his face in his hands and sighed at the man, before retreating to get another rock. This time, he'd have to instruct him.

'You threw it too hard.' Kiba grabbed Sai's hands, adjusted the other man's fingers and nodded. 'Now aim it at the water more and don't throw as forcefully.'

Sai nodded, throwing the rock up into the air and letting it splash halfway into the gentle current, frowning again at the results.

Kiba growled, retrieving another rock for himself.

'Watch closely.'

Kiba poised the rock in his hand, much like a shuriken, waving it at Sai closely, before drawing his arm back and snapping his wrist as his arm crossed his hip. The rock skipped four times and sank.

Kiba made a 'tch', visibly disappointed in his own result. 'Like that.'

Sai grabbed the rock that Kiba nonchalantly tossed to him in one hand and turned to whip the rock. He jumped a little when Kiba grabbed his wrist, adjusted it and helped him properly align his body to toss the stone. Pulling back and releasing, the stone skipped once, twice, three times before plopping soundlessly into the river, lost beneath the surface. Sai felt the breath on his neck from Kiba's laugh before he narrowed his eyes on the man behind him, the two suddenly realizing Kiba's arm around Sai's waist and the utter closeness of flesh embarrassed Kiba to a full out blush fit. Pulling back, Kiba thumped Sai on the shoulder.

'Ya did good, Sai.' He congratulated, before calling Akamaru over, patting Sai's shoulder as he neared.

Sai was back on the ground, Akamaru's tongue mussing his hair, as the disapproving look graced his features once more.


	9. Name: Shin

'Okay, Nii-chan,' Shin stopped where the trail forked into two different tunnels shielded by curving trees, the 7 year old child on his back clutching to him, peered over his shoulder. 'You led us here, which way.'

The baby faced child narrowed his eyes. 'It's too dark.'

Shin sighed. 'Try a little harder, will ya?'

The boy shook his head and He rested it on Shin's shoulder and pointed. 'It's left; I recognize the tree over there.'

The pocked marked tree, now brought to Shin's attention, was defiantly recognizable to him. With a nod, he continued. The boy on his back was getting heavy with sleep. While he admired the boy's talent for art and eagerness to learn, sometimes it was a pain in the ass to play baby sitter to the younger recruits. At twelve, Shin took it upon himself to look out for the youngster, even if it did mean packing him on his back nearing midnight, after training. Besides, he liked the company for the most part.

'Why do we call each other that?' The boy on Shin's back questioned, head rested on his shoulder as Shin hoisted the boy up his back more.

'You're my Nii-chan, idiot.' Shin replied simply with a laugh, kicking a rock into the darkness ahead of them. 'Besides, you don't have a name, what am I suppose to call you?'

'Books say you should address someone by name.' The boy mumbled. 'We're not related. How did you get your name?' The raven haired boy questioned further, agitation laced in his nasal elfish voice.

'My first mission,' Shin confirmed, pulling the boy up his back more. 'It sorta stuck, I get another one tomorrow.'

The child was a little more than envious of his older brother. He'd asked questions about his names, their meanings, how many people called him it during his time away...

'When will I get one?' His body sliding down Shin's back, chubby hands gripping his shoulders as he crawled back up. 'A mission I mean...' and then quieter, 'and a real name.'

'Ten, maybe eleven?' Shin replied hesitating, his nameless friend had slid back down again, pressing an ear to his upper back now. 'When you're done with training, is that an adequate answer?'

Although Shin couldn't see, a small smile crept across the boys chubby cheeks. 'More adequate than your penis, Nii-san'

Shin gurgled in anger, face Turning red, he snarled and heard a soft laugh shaking through his back.

'I could kill you and not feel bad.' Shin growled through a wide barred smile. 'But you're my Nii-chan and you need my protection.'

'Your small penis makes me question your abilities...' The boy reached up and patted the older boy on the burning cheek.

'Lay off the anatomy books, will ya?'

The fair skinned boy nuzzled into Shin's neck as he pulled himself upwards to peer over his shoulder. 'Do you have to go?'

'I leave tomorrow. No questions asked, I'd tell you more, but...' Shin replied as they finally entered the small camp, many other boys already sleeping around a small dim fire.

Shin found their flimsy mats, making sure the boy was securely tucked in before getting under his own blankets.

'Tell ya what, Nii-chan,' Shin said in a whisper. 'You stay in your bed tonight and I'll wake you up before I leave? I might even hug you this time.'

The smile Shin always pined for appeared in the dim light of the fire that glowed a few feet away.

'Okay, Nii-san!' He replied, a little loudly and enthusiastically.

Grumbles emerged from the other mats and Shin pressed a finger to his lips, making his Nii-chan giggle as he whispered an apology through his hand that was firmly clamped over his mouth.


	10. Always Use Protection: Hinata

There were two things Sai liked about the female Hyuuga; Her obvious admiration for Naruto and the blush that stained her cheeks when something less then appropriate was shot her way. Although, after being in the sun most of the day, he couldn't tell where the burn ended and the blush began.

Awkwardly, Hinata sat down beside him covering her scantily clad form with her arms as best she could when she sat amongst a covering of towels the group of teens left behind.

Sai took a few moments to scan her form, Hinata pulling loose shorts over a modest one piece that flattered her full figure. Naruto was an idiot if he didn't find her attractive and Sai immediately found himself biting his lip. Quickly, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her shoulders uncomfortably; the blush Sai often would look for crossing the area's that weren t affected by the burn.

Carefully, Sai took out a bottle Sakura had left him with and squirted a little into his palm and gently began dabbing a few spots onto the girls reddened cheeks, causing her to wince and lean over viciously to one side.

'Friends help each other.' Sai stated simply, nodding at Hinata as she sat back up.

'I... I... Got this.' She replied, setting the towel to the side, allowing her hands to rub the lotion on her cheeks, along her nose.

Sai handed her the bottle, watching Hinata accidently squirt a handful in her palm and slapping it on her shoulders hastily. The sound was enough to make Sai give a small snort and make Hinata blush, the whole thing was awkwardly, innocently erotic. She did it again to the other shoulder, trying to stifle the slapping and sucking noise her hand made as best she could. Sai trying his best not to laugh at the situation as she reached around trying to rub in the mess on her back. She looked towards Sai then, eyebrows raised as she opened her mouth for words but they failed her then.

'Friends help friends.' Sai nodded, reaching over, sliding his hand over her lotion slicked back. 


	11. That Girl: TenTen

Sai herd the whirling of the kunai long before it had the chance to lunge into his skull. Effortlessly, without even glancing up from his book, he caught it in between his experienced fingers, turning his head to the pointed edge a few inches away from his face.

Beyond that, was a girl he recognized vaguely as Tenten. He smiled to himself. No one else could have thrown the weapon with such precision, not from the long range from where she stood. Sai threw it back, with just as much force only to have Tenten catch it in her own fist before tossing 5 back to him. Sai dodged one, blocked three, catching the last in with both hands just as the tip touched his forehead. The woman was talented.

'I need a body.' She shouted from where she stood and waved him over. 'You'll do nicely.'

Sai furrowed his eyebrows and approached Tenten cautiously. Whenever Sakura 'needed a body' it usually implied forcefully letting her hands roam his body while she tried to diagnose any sort of pain, naming muscles while reciting their purpose to the body. Sai usually left with bruises from the ordeal, worst case scenario here was a blade to the head. HE snapped his book closed and nodded, he had time to kill.

'Yes, Tenten chan.' Sai inquired standing only a few feet away from her now; he failed to analyze the kunai in her fist as he skimmed by his cheek.

'Practise.' She replied, taking out her scroll of heavy artillery.

'Ah, yes, a weapon specialist.' Sai recalled her work from the three tails incident.

'You have some pretty sweet ANBU training, don't you?' Tenten started to select weapons she may need, the glint in her eyes reflecting in each metallic blade.

Sai nodded blankly.

'What I want you to do is...' Tenten selected a shuriken and hurled it in Sai's direction causing him to duck hastily. 'Run for your life, you are now my moving target.'

Tenten was relentless with her assault of the socially stunted Shinobi. She was graceful with her movements, narrowly missing Sai's body with each weapon she threw at him. She was toying with him, he was sure. Sai made the mental note that neither knew medical jutsu, severe wounds would have to be avoided this round. Tenten cut through each one of his ink beasts with pin point accuracy that was making him sweat. Using substitutes would be futile while her attention was on him; he vied for his ink bird to aide him for summoning his clone. He flew up and back around her, jumped off and was now in hot pursuit of her. She whirled around, a kunai nicked his throat.

The two did some close range sparring before Tenten had his back against a tree and was driving two kunai through the sleeves of his shirt and into the tree's bark. She smirked as the ink clone melted into a puddle of the ink that created it as Sai brushed a cool blade against Tenten's neck, smiling to himself that he outsmarted the weapons specialist.

Tenten laughed. 'You win, but I'd expect no less from someone such as yourself, Sai.'

Sai pocketed his kunai and received her approval with a bigger smile.

'Don't you normally train with the she-man and the bushy browed spandex creature?'

Tenten wrinkled her nose at the nicknames, laughing when she realized who Sai was talking about, she waved her hand dismissingly.

'Important Hyuuga meeting and even more important Gai and Lee bonding.' Tenten explained. 'One can only hit a still target so many times and realize it won't improve them much to do so once they've already become a master.'

Sai creased his eyes with his smile. 'I suppose. It must be hard.'

Tenten's expression grew blank. 'What?'

'Living in their shadow.' Sai pointed out. 'Hyuuga's eyes are all seeing and Brow's has a very 'youthful' demeanour that can often cast shadows on their neglected team mates.'

Tenten smiled. 'I don't see it like that. I support them, as they do me. That's how teamwork works.'

Tenten sat down against the tree she had pinned Sai to, avoiding the ink puddle it had left behind. Sai joined her.

'Besides,' Tenten continued as she twirled a kunai on her finger and jammed it into the tree trunk. 'They can't touch me on with any weapon they throw at me, no matter how far Neji can see or how long Lee trains... not even you could dodge every attack.'

She was right, thin slices were in the sleeves of his shirt, a few surface wounds on his cheeks. He had been right on her going easy on him due to their lack of medic jutsu.

'We should do this more often, Sai san.' Tenten suggested.

Sai raised his brows as he glanced at Tenten who smiled at him all too eagerly nodding as she did. Sai glanced away nodded; deciding that bonding with another female other than Sakura would be good for him.

'Next time, don't go easy on me.' Sai said with a smile as one of the cuts that ran along his jaw line trickled blood.

'Next time, I'll bring gauze and tape,' Tenten agreed. 'And sharper weapons.'


	12. Son: Tsunade

'He's dead, you know.' Sai pointed out, barely glancing up at the Hokage, sprawled out lazily on the love seat before him. 'You need not look at me and see him. In all honesty, Tsunede-sama, I don't think the liquor is making the situation any better.'

Sai looked on as Tsunede swirled the sake in the half empty bottle, watching it with half lidded eyes before she lowered her gaze on him, bitterness intertwined with a snarl only made him feel awkward as he straightened in his chair, pen to his paper ready for further instruction. He had lost his boss, not his basic instincts.

'It IS helping.' She protested taking another gulp, face flushed from the alcohol and foul mood, following up her last remark with a quiet mutter. 'Helping me tolerate what that jerk has done to...'

Sai only smiled. 'What HAS Danzou-sama done that has angered you so much? He was only trying to help and like I said, he is dead now.'

Too much had changed in the past month. Akatsuki was defeated, Konoha had their 5th hokage back, Danzou had been killed. The downfall of ROOT was inevitable, driving most of Danzou's students further underground, others dispersing wildly like the leaves caught in the wind from the great tree that 'supported Konoha.'

She sighed, glancing at her sake bottle, its murky green glass glistening with its half empty contents before she scowled at Sai in return. Was he being blissfully ignorant, or just trying to get a rise out of her? She was all too aware of his strange habits from her student. His eyes returned to the paper and his smile slowly faded into something that was akin to being content.

'Sai...'

He paused when he heard his name, nodded, but didn't look up from his drawing.

'Do you...'

Sai glanced up, catching a very wistful, almost sorrowful pondering look in the Hokage's eyes as she washed down the rest of her 'liquid tolerance' and frowning before looking back to the artist. He was staring intently at her, mimicking her frown on his face with his pen poised on his sketch pad. No doubt he had read well into emotions and was clearly assessing the situation as best he could with whatever mental tools he had.

He sighed finally, placing his sketch pad down on his lap, sticking the pen in the loops of the wire binding and blinked owlishly.

'What was that, Lady Tsunede?' He pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow.

'Remember anything before Root?' She asked casually, tipping the bottle over, not a single drop falling to her own dismay. 'Your family, your mother or father even. If they're still alive, do you ever think about giving them an update?'

Sai's frown deepened as he hummed, fingering the metal binding on his book, deep contemplation shadowing his pale features as he met the gaze of his drunk Hokage again.

'You don't do you...' She placed the bottle on the floor next to the couch's leg.

'I'm going to need you to continue to hold that.' Sai interjected, pointing to the bottle with a slender finger, opening his book again. 'The picture is half done with it in your hand; you might as well continue holding it.'

Tsunede grumbled, fumbling for the empty glass and twirling it in her fingers before pointing its open throat at Sai and smirking.

'There's so much I don't trust about you.' She admonished.

_'I wouldn't doubt Danzou suppressed memories as well...'_ Tsunede added, in contemplation, biting at her thumb nail. _'I wouldn't put it past the devious bastard.' _

'You don't make a very good subject; I'll have you know I've started over six times. You've enlisted my help for an artistic impression and you're not giving me much to work with.' Sai raised his eyes to her; hand never leaving the paper, his hand moved quicker than it had since they started. Suddenly, he stopped. Sai blinked, smiling grimly before tapping his pen to the paper and biting his lip. 'And I remember very little about my parents, my father in particular... my mother, however...'

Trying to ignore the 'bad subject' remark, Tsunede was sitting up now, leaning forward with her forearms resting on her kneecaps, sake bottle barely being held by her fingers tips. Eyes still untrusting and locked on the man that many had come to dub as 'emotionless'.

'There are very few things I remember about her...' and he smiled, wide at that. 'Mostly things surrounding her death...'

Tsunede felt her heart soften first, then felt her very taught expression loosen as well, watching Sai's own smile slacken slightly to a dull line that was barely drawn up on the ends. His eyes had a somewhat hazy glow of remembrance.

She stumbled once, getting to her feet, forgetting her prop on the couch, the clinking of empty glass against her chewed nails now a distant memory. Gathering her bearings, she made the next five steps to Sai's seemingly vacant body without too much hassle, no tipping, nothing broken. Motherly instinct was something she never thought she had in her, it was too true what others had said about her: loud and harbouring brute strength, just two of the qualities that for so many years, Tsunede herself believed to be so not like a mother. When her hand dropped to Sai's hair, she tried to pass it off as pure drunkenness, perhaps, he did too. Pulling him into an awkward hug with his head against her stomach had her believing it may have been more than just that. She heard Sai's pen drop to the floor, sheets of paper scatter from his hands and a strange muffled gasp.

His body tensed immediately, but he didn't dare move. Rarely, did he think of being a 'son'. He often called up memories of his adopted brother far more frequently than he did of his own flesh and blood parents. It made things... easier, particularly as he began to feel things he thought he'd lost since ROOT, but this, THIS was just strange to him. Tsunede felt his body tense, and then felt him exhale a long sigh. He was human, he once had a family, he was not Danzou, and he was whoever he made himself.

Then, just as if he was being snapped back from a very vivid dream, Sai's body jolted and as Tsunede drew back, he shot a very confused gaze to her, crinkling his nose as he looked back down at his page.

'Should we... just start again?' He asked as he flipped the page before Tsunede had a chance to respond. 'This will be the 7th time starting over, I think you should ditch the sake bottle, you wouldn't want anyone thinking of you as too 'manly'.'


End file.
